What Good Are You to Me?

There’s an image floating around on Facebook of what appears to be an African man holding his emaciated son in his arms. The caption says something about God and prayers being unanswered, and how this is proof there is no god. It’s not the only image like it floating around, so I’m sure you get the gist. God answers the prayers of indulgent, greedy Americans yet ignores the pleading of starving children everywhere else in the world (well, and even right in the United States). Of course, a flame-war ensued… and I had to put in a few of my own dollars and cents. I’m sure it was all squandered, and I have to say it never ceases to amaze me how much Christians are able to rationalize away the negligence of their all-powerful, benevolent god.

Here we have a child who is literally skin and bones, limp in the arms of his parent… possibly lifeless. Do we hear utterances of sympathy? Do parents express empathy for the helpless father holding the malnourished body of his child? You’d think that at least one theist in the group would express pity for the suffering of this little creature… especially since they’re usually so damned crazed about stopping abortions and saving all the unborn babies. Nope. What, do you expect God to rain food down from heaven for everyone? He never promised every single prayer would be answered!! And it’s evil human-kind’s fault this single child has gone without food for so long he cannot stand. An omnipotent god couldn’t possibly be to blame here! He gave us free-will, after all!

Ugh… I really fail to grasp how they can justify that their god willfully ignores this innocent baby’s cries of hunger. Yes, humanity is somewhat to blame for this, it’s true. The problem, or the contradiction, here is that these people are shoving their “good” god down all of our throats, while simultaneously shirking their own self-proclaimed duty to feed and clothe the poor. It’s humankind’s fault! Just not mine. I work hard for my money; why should I pay for their healthcare?! I’ll point your sins out to you day and night, and deny you civil rights and access to clean water, food, healthcare… but dare you point out the plank in my eye whilst I point out the splinter in yours! How can they inhabit such contradictions?

I know, I know… this has all be said before. But really? REALLY?!! No flutter of doubt stirs in your soul when you see such pain; pain that an all-powerful being could snuff out instantly? God gave us free-will, and apparently that explains everything… except for the fact that it was obviously a mistake if this is the outcome! What were you thinking, God? You thought it’d be best for us to willingly choose to follow you even though the consequence would be pandemic misery? Fuck. You.

Well… I guess there’s no reason to direct my anger at a nonexistent god. So, Christians, you act so damn pious, and try to shove your archaic, barbaric nonsense down all of our throats. I am SO sick of you claiming rights to morality when you justify and take-part-in bullying, murder, rape, pedophilia, and thievery. You worship a god guilty of genocide. He may not be real, but you support that sort of thing as long as it’s done in His Name. As long as it’s homosexuals we’re putting behind barbed wire fences and not you, it’s okay. The Holocaust would be fine-and-dandy if it were “sinners” being gassed.

And, fuck, I wish I was exaggerating! I wish I was merely slandering you by saying you’d rather let a woman die than allow her abort her fetus to save her life! If only it was just an unsubstantiated rumor that you said rape was a blessing if a life was created in that trauma! If only you didn’t despise everyone different than you with a murderous, blind passion! If only there was a boundary on how far you’d go to defend the goodness and justice of your imaginary friend. Maybe, when God asks you to sacrifice your own child on an alter, you’ll tell him (or that voice in your head) that he’s simply asking too much. Maybe you won’t trust a god, or a thought in your head, that would even expect something like that from you. Maybe a being who expects that kind of devotion simply isn’t good.

And we’re utterly disturbed by your “harmless” beliefs because people who will kill on command for their particular deity sometimes get into positions of power, and then they kill… or worse. We don’t trust you. Why should we? You’d like to at least believe, should the moment arise, that you would have the courage to die for Jesus’ glory… and take your family down with you. And you’re worried about Muslims?? Don’t you realize your fear is making you exactly like them?! Don’t you recognize your shaming tactics mirror theirs? Are you jealous that you don’t have your own theocracy to put all of us heathens (i.e. infidels) in our place?

You do not represent goodness, mercy, justice, or peace. You do not feed and clothe the poor. You do not want freedom to reign. You’re deluded and beyond hypocritical. You’re violent and hateful. And we’ve taken enough of your shit. We do not need a god who ignores starving children, nor the guidance of people who can rationalize evil away. We’re simply not falling for it anymore.

What Good Are You to Me? If "God" cannot or will not answer my prayers; if I have to take action myself, then I have no use for him... and neither does that starving child.

You're totally right about religious people being unbelievably arrogant. Ironically, I was just reading some of my old journal entries... back when I was a believer. WOW! Amongst all my teenage/early twenties angst, I was going on and on about how different than everyone I was, and really felt I was special and better than everyone else. Of course, I didn't put it in quite those words, but that's exactly how I felt. And... since it was on Myspace, I have to wonder what anyone who read it thought. It was a little nauseating, and a lot embarrassing to read! I know some of that angst shit comes with age, but it's definitely compounded when you think you're wearing special Christian goggles, and no one "gets" you because they're not wearing the same goggles (the Bible basically says as much).

If anything, losing my faith has been humbling. Like, for real haha. I've figured out I'm not really "special"; I'm just a pretty typical human. That actually was a bit difficult to come to terms with... yet at the same time being a nonbeliever has done wonders for my confidence! My shortcomings are actually due to the fact that I'm a pretty typical human lol, so I don't have to self flagellate for "sinning". I can take full responsibility for my actions/failings and do something to change it without beating myself up... or believing that I'm a worthless sack of sinning shit (but "special" shit, mind you).

Yeah. I don't think I've met an exceptions to your claim that religious people are arrogant.

That is amazing. And their being "demon possessed" still doesn't get their god off the hook. Jesus and his Disciples cast demons out all the time. Typically, the possessed don't actually want to be possessed. It's not their fault! So, why doesn't "God" just cast the demons out and feed the kid?! Is he so powerless? It seems so. An impotent god.

Theistic people don't use reason and logic to understand their belief system and ultimately see the inherent flaws that their religion is based upon. Suffering and depravity on a worldwide scale has no reason to exist in light of a benevolent super being. These shortcomings on the part of the theist's god require a disconnect on the part of the believer. They know deep down it doesn't make sense and is a whole lot of bullshit. But their pride and arrogance will raise that righteous flag to never question that which they do not understand. So pathetic.

i was just watching the video penn Jillette on Agnosticism and Atheism, where he was on Bill Marher show and he gave the same analogy of what you said "when God asks you to sacrifice your own child on an alter, you’ll tell him (or that voice in your head) that he’s simply asking too much. interesting post, i have similar questions as you. thanks for sharing

So you recognized the pitiful excuse for religion as Christianity then go on to lambast the lie.

My hats of to Roman orthodoxy, the lie imposed upon the world by the sword and yet a pagan lie from the beginning. Whose Vatican now sits where true Christians were set ablaze by Nero to give light to city. The abomination that sits on seven hills. it sister Constantinople who also sits on seven hills in Turkey was no less ruthless in imposing its peace upon the world. Of cause all that it does it cursed and bares no fruit at all. "By their fruit you shall now them". These two horns of the beast that "looked like a lamb but spoke like a dragon" are twice died. "Cure the tree that it may die"